Label:
DFA Records
Release Date:
03/10/2005

The melting pot from which Brooklyn’s Black Dice draw their sound would seem to be a particularly eclectic one: this single contains elements of electro, dance, tribal noises and experimental feedback absurdity. These genres are jumbled together in a very thorough manner, thus managing to avoid any obvious leapfrogging from one influence to the next. It’s more like tapping into the stream of consciousness of a very, very broad and slightly wonky mind – a playful and decidedly odd noise.

Tunes do not feature heavily here, and nor will you find much in the way of hooks or, indeed, a vocal line. Smiling Off is, instead, one of those songs which was clearly devised with the more drug-addled dance floor in mind, with enough of a beat to move to and enough tranced-out weirdness to bring its own atmosphere with it. And as such, it’s gonna be of limited appeal to those who want something to actively listen to - or, indeed, to those who look for an emotion beyond a disinterested spirit of innovation in their music. However, those who want something to which to move mindlessly –and who don’t mind a lightheartedly warped rather than a straightforward feel-good soundtrack to their night – might well find this pushes their buttons.